Irrigation system

ABSTRACT

A constant level irrigation system for watering a potted plant includes a vertically moveable reservoir, a pot support for holding the pot so that it extends below the surface of the water in the reservoir and means for raising or lowering the reservoir to maintain the level of the water in the reservoir constant independent of the amount of water in the reservoir.

United States Patent [191 Williams 1 Sept. 23, 1975 1 IRRIGATION SYSTEM 3,168,797 2/1965 Patassy 47/38 Inventor: Earl Evan Williams 3 S Queen 3,293,799 12/1966 Keller et al. 47/38 St., Shippensburg, Pa. 17257 I Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Pellegrmo- [22] Flled: May 1974 Attorney, Agent, or FirmThomas Hooker [21] Appl. No.: 471,341

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl; 47/38 A Constant level irrigation system for watering a {51] Int. Cl. A01(, 27/00 ted lam includes a Vertical] moveable reservoir a [58] Field of Search 47/38 34 1.2 p y pot support for holding the pot so that it extends below the surface of the water in the reservoir and [56] References Cited means for raising or lowering the reservoir to maintain UNITED STATES PATENTS the level of the water in the reservoir constant inde- 1,780,279 11/1930 Smith 1. 47/38 pendent of the amount of water in the reservoir. 2,499,885 3/1950 Sommetz 47/38 2,885,825 5/1959 Longacre 47/38 11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US Patent Sep t. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,906,667

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,906,667

IRRIGATION SYSTEM The invention relates to plant irrigating systems and particularly to an automatic irrigating system for providing potted plants with an constant-level source of water. The irrigating system includes a reservoir pan which holds a reservoir of water and is supported by a specialized spring system so that as the amount of water in the reservoir varies, the pan is moved up or down to maintain the level of the reservoir constant. The potted plant extends below the level into the water in the reservior and is thus provided .with a constant level source of water. The water flows from the reservoir into the pot to be used by the plant. The level of the water in the reservoir panis automatically adjusted. An external power source is not required.

The irrigating system of the invention is particularly useful in watering plants or flowers in cemeteries or other locations where normallya minimum of attention or maintenance is available. Rain water falling on a collecting surface replenishes thev reservoir of water and enables the plant to receive a constant supply of water during rainless periods. Thus, the limited rainfall available in a semi-arid climate may be collected and used to water the plant during an entire growing season.

United States Patent No. 2,713,753 discloses a constant water level irrigating system where the level of the water is maintained by a floatvalve such that when the water level lowers the valve is opened and an additional supply of water flows into .the tank. from a remote source. United States Patent No. 1,780,279 shows a plant on a support with a surroundingsupply of water which evaporates to provide moisture for the leaves of the plant. The plant support includes a spring-backed grip maintained against the bottom of the plant pot to catch the overflow of water. Neither of these patents teaches a constant level, selfpowered irrigating system in which a reservoir of water is movedup or down relative to a held plant pot to maintain the level of the reservoir constant with respect to the pot.

A reservoir pan 24 is fitted closely within the interior walls of case '12 and is supported therein by four springs 26 extending between brackets 27 on the lower surface of cover 14 and on the bottom of the pan. The pan contains an amount of water 28 having a constant water level which is automatically maintained slightly below the bottom of the pot support 16. A number of small openings 32 are provided in the walls of pot 18 below water level 30 to permit free passage of water into the pot. A drainage opening 34 is provided in the bottom of case 12 to allow any water overflowing pan 24 to drain from the irrigator.

Cover 14 includes a slightly raised lip 36 extending around the circumference of the outer case. The lip assures that rain water falling on the surface of the cover drains into pot support 16, through openings 38 at the bottom thereof, and into the pan 24 to increase the water reservoir 28. An extended rain water collecting surface may be provided.

Support brackets 40 on the outside of the pot l8 rests on the bottom of support 16 to hold the pot in place with the lower portion extending through opening 22 and into the constant level water reservoir 28 within pan 24. If desired, a number of sets of support brackets 40 may be provided on the pot in order to vary the depth to which the pot extends below the constant level surface 30.

As water is added to the reservoir 28, the weight of the reservoir 28 increases, springs 26 are elongated and the reservoir and pan are lowered with respect to the fixed plant pot 18. The spring constants of springs 26 v are such that the weight of new water added to the res- Other objects and features of the invention will be- 7 come apparent as the description proceeds, especially IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an irrigating system according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views taken along lines 2-2 and 33 respectively of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a modification of the irrigating system of FIG. 1 where a constant water level is maintained both in the main irrigator and in a number of adjacent pots; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are'sectional views similar to that of FIG. 1 illustrating further embodiments of the invention. I

The constant water level irrigator 10, illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a hollow outer case 12 with a cover 14 fitted over the upper open end of the case 12. The cover includes a centrally located cylindrical support 16 extending down into the case 12. A pot 18 containing soil and a plant 20 rootedin the soil is held by supervoir lowers the pansufficiently to maintain the level of water 30 in the reservoir constant. Thus, as the reservoir 28 is filled with water, the pan 24 is lowered toward the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and the springs 26 are correspondingly elongated. When the pan is full of water, it rests on stops 31 and additional water added to the reservoir overflows the pan and flows out of case 12 through overflow opening 34. In this way, water does not collect below reservoir pan 24 and the level 30 is maintained. If desired, the bottom 42 of outer case 12 may be omitted together with opening 34.

Water from reservoir 28 flows into pot 18 through the lower holes 32 to provide moisture for the plant growing in the pot. As water is used up in the reservoir, the weight of the reservoir decreases, springs 26 raise the reservoir and pan 24, and assures maintenance of constant reservoir level 30. In this manner, a constant supply of water is provided to pot 18 over a relatively long period of time.

FIG. 4 illustrates an irrigating system using an irriga' tor 50 similar to irrigator 10 of FIGS. 1 through 3 to provide a constant-level water reservoir not only for a plant 52 in the irrigator 50, but also for a number of additional plants 54 each growing from a separate pot 56 located adjacent to the irrigator 50.

Irrigator 50 includes a buried outer case 58 with an inner reservoir pan 60 supported from cover 62 by springs 64. The reservoir of water maintained in the pan 60 is kept at a constant level in the same manner as in the reservoir 10. A flexible tube 66 is attached to pan 60 and leads to a buried pipe 68 connected to the bottom of each of the pots 56. The constant level 70 of the water reservoir in pan 60 is slightly above the bottom of pots 56. In this manner, the reservoir in pan 60 is extended to and includes the bottom of each of the pots 56 and the plants 54 are provided with a constantlevel water supply. This type of irrigating system is particularly useful in automatically watering plants at a grave site or in another area where reduced maintenance is desired. Also, the reservoir may be replenished by rain collected from the surfaces of the markers and stones, thus increasing the water available for supply to the various plants in the irrigation system.

FIG. illustrates an irrigator 80 which is similar to that of FIG. 1, but uses a collapsible reservoir pan 82 to hold the water reservoir 84. A buried cement outer case 86 is provided with an extended area cover 88 closing the top of the case and having a central pot support 90 for supporting pot 92 as in irrigator l0. Brackets 94 are secured to the case 86 and project into the opening just below cover 88. The brackets 94 support the top of a vertically collapsible wall 82, the bottom of which is secured to support plate 96. The plate 96 and wall 82 define reservoir 84. Springs 98 are attached between the brackets 94 and the outer portions of plate 96 beyond flexible wall 82 and function identically to springs 26 of irrigator to assure that the level 100 of the reservoir is maintained constant despite variation in the volume of water in the reservoir. An overflow tube 102 extends up from plate 96 so that when reservoir 84 is full of water, excess water flows through the tube and out of the irrigator 80 through overflow 104.

lrrigator 110, illustrated in FIG. 6, operates similar to the irrigators previously described through the use of a fluid-float spring system for maintaining the watering reservoir at a constant level. The irrigator 110 includes an outer case 112 which is somewhat deeper than the cases previously described. A cover 114 fits over the top of the case and includes a pot support 116 which extends down into the case 112 and has a central opening for receiving pot 118 with a plant and soil therein. Constant level watering reservoir 120 is held in reservoir pan 122 which moves up and down within case 1 12 depending upon the amount of water in the reservoir 120. The reservoir 120 is maintained at a constant level 124 located above the bottom of pot 1 18. As in the previously described embodiment, the pot may be adjusted on support 116 so that it extends to a greater or lesser extent below reservoir surface 124.

The reservoir pan 122 and reservoir 120 therein are supported by a float assembly 126 which is immersed in a float reservoir 128 in the lower portion of case 1 12. The float assembly 126 extends down into reservoir 128 from the bottom of reservoir pan 122 and includes a first float 130 which fits closely within the interior opening of case 112 and second float 132 extending from float 130 to the bottom of pan 122. The cross sectional area of float 132 is one-half of the interior cross sectional area of the lower portion of case 112.

With the float assembly 126 and pan 122 in the raised position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 5, float 130 is completely immersed within the reservoir 128. The displacement of this float and the portion of float 132 im mersed in reservoir 128 supports pan 122. As additional water is added to reservoir 120, the weight carried by the float assembly is increased and the pan 122 and float assembly are lowered into reservoir 128. The cros sectional area of pan 122 is essentially equal to that of the lower portion of case 112 and is twice the cross sectional area of the annular portion of reservoir 128 above float 130. This relationship assures that when water is added or removed from reservoir 120, the float and pan are raised or lowered due to the change in weight of the reservoir 120 and the constant level 124 is assured.

The addition of one inch of water to the reservoir 120 will cause the float assembly 126 to sink lower in the reservoir 128 sufficiently to displace an equal volume of water. The pan and float assembly will move downward 1 inch and at the same time, the level of the reservoir 128 will move up one inch. The result is that the float is immersed in two additional inches of water to provide the added buoyancy required to maintain the fixed level 124 of reservoir 120. Similarly, removal of water from reservoir 120, primarily through seepage into pot 1 18 and adsorption into the root system of the plant growing in the pot, will decrease the weight of the reservoir so that the float system will rise and maintain the constant level 124. An overflow 134 is provided in case 112 at a level below the bottom of pan 122 when it is in its full or lower most position. If the pan 122 is overfilled, the excess water flows down into reservoir 128 replenishing it, if necessary, with the excess being drained from case 112 through the overflow.

In the irrigator of F IG. 6, the float assembly is buoyed by a reservoir of water which is replenished by overflow from the watering reservoir located above it. In some situations, it may be desirable to use a fluid other than water in the fluid-float spring sytems. In that case, the density of the fluid may not equal the density of the water in the upper reservoir and in order to maintain the constant level of the upper reservoir, the cross sectional area of the float at the surface of the fluid-float spring reservoir must equal the surface area of the reservoir and the density of the fluid in this reservoir must equal the ratio of the surface area of the water in the reservoir pan to the surface area of the fluid in the fluid-float spring reservoir. If a specialized fluid is used for the float reservoir, it may be desirable to provide a barrier between that reservoir and the upper portion of the outer case 112 to prevent water overflowing reservoir pan 22 from reaching the lower float reservoir.

While the irrigators of the present invention are all illustrated as being buried with the plants watered by them projecting above ground level, it is obvious that the outer cases of the irrigators may be located above ground level, if desired. For example, irrigators containing small trees or shrubs may be located on city sidewalks for beautification purposes.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is understood that these are capable of modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A constant level irrigating system comprising a support, a pot or like vessel on the support for holding a plant to be watered by the irrigating system and having a water entry opening therein, a reservoir pan surrounding the pot so that when water is placed in the reservoir pan the opening is below the surface of the water in the reservoir pan, and means interconnecting said reservoir pan and said support for automatically raising or lowering said reservoir pan as the water level in the reservoir pan changes to maintain the surface of the water at a constant level with respect to the opening despite the addition of level to or removal of water from the reservoir pan.

2. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a spring system connected between said pot support and reservoir pan to support the reservoir pan against the force of gravity.

3. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 2 including a number of tension springs connecting said reservoir pan and support, such springs being arranged around the circumference of the reservoir pan.

4. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 3 wherein the springs are located within the reservoir pan.

5. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 3 wherein the springs are located outside the reservoir pan,

6. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a float and reservoir spring system having a reservoir, a fluid in the reservoir, a float attached to the reservoir pan and extending into the reservoir, the cross sectional area of the float at the surface of the reservoir equaling the surface area of the reservoir, and the density of the fluid equaling the ratio of the surface area of the water in the reservoir pan to the surface area fluid in the reservoir.

7. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein the side wall of said reservoir pan is collapsible and the top of such wall is secured to the support.

8. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 comprising an additional pot located away from said reservoir pan and support and at about the same vertical level as said first named pot, and a closed fluid conduit connecting the interior of the reservoir pan and the interior of said additional pot whereby water is maintained in said additional pot at the same constant level as water in the reservoir pan.

9. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 8 wherein said fluid conduit includes a flexible portion at the reservoir pan, such portion permitting movement of the reservoir pan with respect to the first named pot.

10. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 including surface means for collecting rainfall, a water flow path from said surface means to the reservoir pan whereby rain water falling on such surface flows into the reservoir pan to replenish the water therein, and overflow means for preventing overfilling of the reservoir.

11. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 10 wherein said water flow path extends past said support. I l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. I 3,90 '667 DATED September 23, 1975 INVENTORG) 3 Earl E. Williams it is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5, line 1, change "level" to -water--.

Signed and Scaled this sixth D y of January 1976 [SEAL] Attest:

RUTH c. MASON c. MARSHALL DANN Altesring Officer Commissioner uj'larenls and Trademarks 

1. A constant level irrigating system comprising a support, a pot or like vessel on the support for holding a plant to be watered by the irrigating system and having a water entry opening therein, a reservoir pan surrounding the pot so that when water is placed in the reservoir pan the opening is below the surface of the water in the reservoir pan, and means interconnecting said reservoir pan and said support for automatically raising or lowering said reservoir pan as the water level in the reservoir pan changes to maintain the surface of the water at a constant level with respect to the opening despite the addition of level to or removal of water from the reservoir pan.
 2. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a spring system connected between said pot support and reservoir pan to support the reservoir pan against the force of gravity.
 3. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 2 including a number of tension springs connecting said reservoir pan and support, such springs being arranged around the circumference of the reservoir pan.
 4. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 3 wherein the springs are located within the reservoir pan.
 5. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 3 wherein the springs are located outside the reservoir pan.
 6. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a float and reservoir spring system having a reservoir, a fluid in the reservoir, a float attached to the reservoir pan and extending into the reservoir, the cross sectional area of the float at the surface of the reservoir equaling the surface area of the reservoir, and the density of the fluid equaling the ratio of the surface aRea of the water in the reservoir pan to the surface area fluid in the reservoir.
 7. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 wherein the side wall of said reservoir pan is collapsible and the top of such wall is secured to the support.
 8. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 comprising an additional pot located away from said reservoir pan and support and at about the same vertical level as said first named pot, and a closed fluid conduit connecting the interior of the reservoir pan and the interior of said additional pot whereby water is maintained in said additional pot at the same constant level as water in the reservoir pan.
 9. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 8 wherein said fluid conduit includes a flexible portion at the reservoir pan, such portion permitting movement of the reservoir pan with respect to the first named pot.
 10. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 1 including surface means for collecting rainfall, a water flow path from said surface means to the reservoir pan whereby rain water falling on such surface flows into the reservoir pan to replenish the water therein, and overflow means for preventing overfilling of the reservoir.
 11. A constant level irrigating system as in claim 10 wherein said water flow path extends past said support. 